


Come away with me

by WishaDream



Series: Control Shorts [1]
Category: Control (Video Game)
Genre: Attraction, Changing Feelings, Confused About Feelings, F/F, Fluff, Longing, Pining, Short Story, both like each other but don't realize yet how much, confused, intimate, levitating, part of a series of slightly unconnected stories about their mutual pining, polaris is wingwoman, probably not clear but polaris is also DJ, spoilers for main game and dlcs sorta, they are at least referenced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28899855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream
Summary: Jesse invites Emily out to try out her levitation abilities together.
Relationships: Jesse Faden/Emily Pope
Series: Control Shorts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119476
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	Come away with me

“Did you want to try levitating with me?”

Emily had just finished giving Jesse a report on the work still being done to clear out the Hiss from the Bureau. When they had finished Jesse paused at the door to the conference room as she looked back to pose the question.

As soon as Emily heard the question her lips dropped into a thoughtful frown, “I don’t know if that will work. But we won’t know for sure until we try.” Her bright smile was back as she rose from her chair, setting her clipboard on the long table before following Jesse out of the room.

None of Jesse’s powers worked in the Executive area for whatever reason.

_I should ask Emily. She might know. Or at least have a theory for why that is._

Doing the floating experiment there was out. Not that Jesse really wanted an audience.

Heading past the various teams the two headed to the elevator.

Both reached for a button as Emily pulled away first, “Go ahead.”

Jesse pressed the button for the Containment Sector.

“The Hiss have been cleared out of Logistics so I thought it would be the best place to do this.”

No point in putting Emily in danger for this little experiment.

“If this does work,” stated Emily in a thoughtful manner, like she was more thinking aloud than having an actual conversation with Jesse, “It would raise so many more questions. But it would also give some new insights into AIs.”

The elevator doors opened as they headed straight to Logistics. The Bureau’s emblem was emblazoned on the marble floor in the center of the room. To the left and right there were raised platforms that Jesse did not understand the purpose of.

_Emily might know._

Whatever the reason, the platforms seemed to give one a higher view of the two open rooms to the side where multiple desks were set up, all positioned in front of a large map of the US which had light bulbs scattered across its surface.

“How do you want to—what do you think is the best way to go about this?”

Now that they were there Jesse felt nervous, like she was about to slow dance with Emily at prom. The music was playing, the girl was standing in front of her, now all she had to do was reach out and touch her. But all she could manage to do was stand there and stare like some fish on a placard.

Emily’s lips scrunched as she instructed her to, “Stand behind me,” Jesse did, “Put your hands on my waist like you’re about to lift me.”

While she waited, Jesse stood frozen as her hands hovered over Emily’s hips. All she had to do was touch her. This shouldn’t be that hard. But it was taking everything in her to keep herself from pulling back, from calling this whole thing off.

_“Sorry, I just recalled I have to pull a Trench and shoot myself.”_

_Too soon? Bad joke? Definitely both._

This shouldn’t have been so hard. But her pulse was pounding.

She didn’t even feel this way when facing Hiss. Fighting them actually calmed her. But now, standing behind Emily, her palms were sweating, knees weak, arms heavy. But on the surface she looked calm and ready.

_I hope._

Could Emily hear Jesse’s heart pounding in her chest?

_Would she know the answer to why?_

Taking a breath to calm her pulsing nerves she gently placed her hands on Emily’s hips. Immediately she felt something like electricity travel up the length of her hands, into her arms, into her chest.

“You’ll need to hold me firmer than that.” Emily reached back, using her hands to move Jesse’s as she secured the red head’s hold on her.

Jesse swallowed, almost choking on her own saliva as she did.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Oh, right.”

Her voice sounded strained, unlike Emily’s. Today she was the calm and cool one.

_She always is. I don’t know how she does it. I could ask her._

Her pulse was pounding in her ears as she leapt into the air while holding Emily. Though Emily had seemed doubtful it would work, they were both pleasantly surprised when they started to float together. Jesse tightened her hold on Emily as she felt her weight increase as she was left to hold her completely on her own.

They hovered for several moments, gliding back down to the floor in a lazy manner before Emily’s feet touched the ground first.

As soon as she was back on the ground she turned, fixing Jesse with one of her patented smiles. Excitement shone in her eyes like it had when she’d first met up with Jesse in the Foundation.

“That was—exhilarating. This changes so many of my theories about your connection with Altered Items. The fact that it can also levitate me—that your powers can affect those you are in close proximity to—there’s just so much more here that I need to understand.”

From the way her brow furrowed and her eyes took on that look like her mind was miles away, Jesse could tell Emily was already starting to work out all the things she wanted to do now that she had new data.

But Jesse wasn’t yet ready for the experimentto end as she called after her, “Do you want to try to go even higher?”

She motioned to the side where a set of stairs led up to one of the raised platforms that overlooked the desks.

“You can go higher?”

Jesse nodded.

“Then, yes, of course.”

Her bright response made Jesse smile as the two headed up the stairs. At the top she started to get behind Emily again, but the girl stopped her with a raised hand.

“If we are going higher we should try something more secure. I felt myself slipping the other way.”

Turning, she faced Jesse, her eyes meeting hers as they stood there for a moment in silence. Again Jesse heard the music playing in the back of her mind.

Emily’s hands hovered near her face as she looked to be the one hesitating this time around. Then as if she’d received silent permission from herself, or Jesse, she wrapped her arms around Jesse’s neck.

Emily was standing on tiptoe, a reminder that Jesse was a few inches taller than her. It was easy to forget as the two spent most of their time together sitting in the board room.

The fact that she’d forgotten about their height difference just reminded Jesse how rare it was for them to meet outside of the board room. How rare the moments they spent together outside of work.

Jesse frowned as she realized she did not like this fact.

_I want more times like this. Times where we’re not thinking or talking about the Hiss. Times where it’s just the two of us._

Polaris flared as if she understood the feeling. She had to be just as tired of the Hiss as anyone else.

Perhaps it was best to just end this experiment now and get back to work so it didn’t have to be a wish but could be a reality.

But Jesse didn’t stop it as she again felt that electricity travel up her arms when she wrapped her arms around Emily’s waist.

Did Emily also feel the pulse passing through them?

_Does she know what it is?_

Jesse leapt into the air, putting an extra boost on the jump as she activated her ability.

As they floated up into the air Emily’s body pressed closer to hers as the woman pulled up her legs to wrap them around Jesse’s waist.

Her head immediately went blank as the Jesse executable shut down.

They were just two planets floating together, moving in retrograde as the music of the universe pulsed around them.

  


  


“Wow,” went Emily in wonder, “This is so—I can’t believe it works. Is this usually how high you get on your own?”

Jesse nodded.

The words sounded like they were coming at a distance with the music playing over Emily’s voice.

_“Come away with me and we’ll kiss_

_On a mountaintop_

_Come away with me_

_And I’ll never stop loving you.”_

Slowly they started to spin in the air as they descended back to the ground, back to reality, back to a world where Jesse was nothing more than Emily’s boss. But for that moment in time, in the air, they could be someone else. Something else.

_And I want to wake up with the rain_

_Falling on a tin roof_

_While I’m safe there in your arms_

_So all I ask is for you_

_To come away with me in the night_

_Come away with me._

While Jesse was lost in the music, Emily looked around in amazement, her lips moving as she silently calculated the time it took them to float back down to earth.

To reality.

_Is she in a hurry to get back?_

The question made Jesse’s heart ache.

Emily only seemed to be focusing on the science portion of things. The time it took to float down. The height they could achieve in relation to the height they had started from.

It was all numbers to Emily. Facts. Figures. No feelings were involved. Nothing was making her heart race, her pulse quicken. Not the feeling of Jesse’s hands around her waist. Or the pressure of her legs wrapped around Jesse’s waist. None of that mattered to Emily. The only things that mattered to her were the things she could measure.

Just when they were about to touch the ground she felt Emily’s hold on her relax.

Before she could put her feet down Jesse leapt up again. Emily’s hold firming again as Jesse floated up to the overseer’s ledge, using it to propel them up further, she floated towards a balcony with glass railing. There she pushed off again as they floated higher than the second floor.

Emily’s hold on her increased even more as Jesse held her tighter as well, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”

“This is very high,” her voice was muffled as she spoke into her arm, the heat from her breath brushing against Jesse’s neck, making her skin tingle, “There are so many applications we could use this for now that we know you can carry objects with you.”

She started to rattle off all the things before Jesse cut her off, “Emily. Just enjoy it.”

“Oh, right. Yeah.” Jesse felt Emily’s nose brush under her chin as she turned her head to take in their surroundings, “The Bureau looks so different from up here. It’s almost like being on the moon with zero gravity.”

“Were you the type of girl who dreamed of going to the moon?”

“Oh, of course. I don’t know other’s reasons for wanting to go to the moon--.”

“Being weightless. I just wanted to fly.”

“Right, yes, of course. For me I was more interested in finding out if the theory about there once having been water on the moon was true or not. I wanted to be the one to discover the lost moon colony.”

Jesse smiled, “Were you also going to prove the moon was not in fact made of cheese?”

“Everyone knows the moon keeps its cheese at the center.”

Jesse’s heart fluttered as they started to banter jokingly. It was the same buzz of excitement she had felt back in the Foundation when they’d been talking about the “trading cards.”

But like then it all came to an end as they dropped back to earth. Back to reality and the work that needed to be done.

This time when they touched earth Emily lingered for a moment in her arms before she realized they’d landed.

Once her feet were on the ground she stepped back.

“That was very insightful. I’m excited to get to work on coming up with new theories and test scenarios.”

Jesse smiled.

_Can she tell I’m faking it?_

Emily didn’t even look at her as she turned away, her mind already at work even before she’d entered her lab.

“Do you want to go even higher?”

Emily turned back, her eyebrows lifted in interest, “You can go even higher than that?” she pointed up to the height that had been the extent of their climb.

“As long as I have stuff to jump off I can float down from any height. As far as I know.”

Emily’s face scrunched in thought as she considered the applications, “Wow, ye-oh-yes. I would love to record the data for that. The fact that there might not be a limit to your levitating abilities is just—that opens up even more possibilities.”

Jesse smiled as she closed the space between them, her skin tingling with anticipation at feeling Emily’s touch again.

“In the foundation--.”

“But,” Emily held up her hand, cutting Jesse off, “I don’t have the time today. We will have to spend more time with this at another date.”

Though she was disappointed, Jesse liked the idea of having another excuse to spend time with Emily outside of work and meetings. An excuse to hang out, just the two of them.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Emily smiled as she started back to the elevators, “Please do. I have a tendency of forgetting promises I’ve made.”

Jesse watched her until she disappeared around a corner. Once she was out of sight the smile on her face faded into a disappointed frown.

_Am I really so forgettable?_

____

[Emily’s side.]

Emily kept her smile up until she couldn’t see Jesse anymore. Once she was out of sight she slumped back against the wall, clutching her hand to her chest. Inside her chest her heart was pounding like a wild animal trying to get out of a cage.

Had Jesse felt it beating against Emily’s insides while she’d held her? Had she noticed the nervous energy coursing through Emily’s veins? Pulsing wild like electricity without anything to ground it.

Surely she had noticed that Emily hadn’t been able to look at her the whole time she’d been in Jesse’s arms.

Emily let out a shaky breath as she gripped her head in her hands. Her legs still felt like they were wrapped around Jesse’s waist.

Why? Why had she done that?

Her arms around Jesse’s neck should have been enough to keep her secure, but fear had made her instinctively move to secure her position.

But did she have to do it by wrapping her legs around Jesse like some kind of monkey?

Her ears felt hot as she turned to press her forehead into the cool concrete wall. She pressed in so hard she felt the dried concrete bite into the smooth skin of her forehead.

And then to make matters worse, the whole time she’d been in Jesse’s arm she’d heard some song playing in her mind. A slow wistful song about longing that made Emily’s heart ache with a feeling she’d never experienced before.

Her focus had always been on science. On learning. On research. She had never had an interest in human interaction outside of working with others for a common purpose.

But with Jesse it was different. With her she felt the urge to talk about things other than science and research. Like the moon and the silly notion that it was made of cheese.

_So stupid._

But Jesse had seemed to like her joke. Had actually laughed. No one ever laughed at Emily’s jokes. But Jesse did and she wanted to know why.

Why Jesse laughed at her jokes, and why Emily wanted to make her laugh more? Why she wanted to know more about Jesse, not as the director, or something to study, but as a person. As someone she liked to spend time with outside of work.

She found herself wanting more moments like the one they’d just had. Not necessarily where they were floating, but moments where she completely forgot about the Hiss and the work she had to do.

And she had forgotten about that work. Even after they’d landed for the final time she’d felt like they were still in the air, lifted high above the worries of the Bureau and the Hiss. Honestly she’d let herself get lost in the feeling of Jesse’s arms. Of the scent of the woman: leather and electricity.

Shaking her head she reminded herself this was no way to act.

She needed to keep her thoughts, her focus on what was important.

But what if what was important to her had changed?


End file.
